Cookie Exchange at the Hennepin History Museum

So, last night I attended a new event in Minneapolis I haven’t done before and it was a really fun time! The Hennepin History Museum hosted, for the second time, a holiday cookie exchange, which is a great way to get to know some other people interested in baking and history and break away from that beginning of winter funk of avoiding people. The Hennepin History Museum, a cool, little known museum tucked away in an ornate mansion, the George Christian house, just across the the street from the Minneapolis Institute of Art is, I feel, one of the great hidden gems in Minneapolis. The Museum is currently raising its profile in the city, so expect more awesome events to continue!

I had only been there once before, but I really enjoyed visiting again and I’d recommend people do too. Focusing on the rich social history of the county, there are always cool special exhibits hosted; currently, the seasonal exhibit explores the background of Hennepin County’s figure skating, which is something I hadn’t even thought of before! Hopefully we’ll be able to do that this year! Also, artifacts from history societies in the West Metro, specifically near Lake Minnetonka were on view as well, which, of course, was pretty interesting to me, given that’s where I grew up.  I’m trying to think of a good excuse for my next MNopedia article to visit again and stop by their exhaustive research library to glean some cool hidden stories of Hennepin County.

The rules of the cookie exchange are simple; just bring three dozen of your favorite cookies and swap them with other people’s for a tasty, homemade treats. It is also a very Minnesotan type of event! I made some vegan pumpkin oatmeal cookies, which turned out only semi-successful, I feel. Next time I’d try a bit less molasses, and also know what to expect from my oven. The others look delicious, and it always great to have a pile of cookies to enjoy this time of year. Hopefully, the Hennepin History Museum will host again next year. It would certainly be a good choice for a date night!

Hennepin History Museum,  2303 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis